


Invisible

by CsillaDream



Category: Shugo Chara!
Genre: Abuse, Bruises, Emotional Abuse, F/M, High School AU, Ice Cream, Physical Abuse, Scars, Teen Angst, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 18:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1828253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CsillaDream/pseuds/CsillaDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I remember listening to stories of 'happily ever after's and believing that 'love' was this beautiful thing... I no longer believe those fairy tales. Those lies told to young girls to leave them naked for reality. A reality where I've met my prince, fell in love with him and now I'm in a relationship where I can't stand to see myself in the mirror.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First KukAmu posted on this site!

**[ - Chapter One - ]**

I remember listening to stories of ' _happily ever after_ 's and believing that ' _love_ ' was this beautiful thing that turned a cute girl into an even more beautiful girl. Stories of how princesses or damsels would wait for her prince/hero to come and they'd fall in love and live happily ever after. Yes, I always loved listening to my mother read me these bedtime stories and I pushed to have my little sister hear those precious words of happy endings. I used to even read to Ami when my mother needed to work late to earn extra money. Used to, being the keyword. I no longer believe those fairy tales. Those lies told to young girls to leave them naked for reality. A reality where I've met a prince-like boy, fell in love with him and now I'm in a relationship where I can't stand to see myself in the mirror. I can't stand to see how ugly I've become. I find excuses to tell Ami as to why I can't read to her at night when our mom is busy. I'm sure she hates me for it but so be it.

I brush the bedhead from my rose-colored hair before slipping inside an over-sized sweater; thank god, our academy allows sweaters to be worn over our uniforms! Checking to make sure my hands are all that are seem from underneath the beige material, I quickly slip on my plaid leg warmers that match the skirt I wear everyday as a part of my school's uniform. Another quick look up and down, I head down into the kitchen to catch a whiff of what smells sweet and mouth-watering but a mental reminder that if I was late again there would be hell to pay. I ninja my way to grab a piece of toast and ran out of the house before my mom could force me to sit and eat breakfast. If she only knew...

"Ah! Amu," The cheerful voice, which oozed trouble greeted me by the gates of my high school; I returned the greeting with one that hopefully wouldn't cause any problems before walking beside him into school.

We went about our normal routine together, getting his books from his locker and then mine; a small lump quickly formed in my throat as we approached mine. My locker was off on an end of the hallway where there wasn't much traffic unlike my boyfriend's, whose was dead-center. I recalled everything from the day before with step closer we were to the metal cage where my books were. I was putting in the combination when I heard  _that_  tone. The tone he uses every time I'm about to find myself uglier than before. Hating myself more than before.

"Amu" The false cheerfulness was gone replaced with the monster my boyfriend really is; I knew what was coming next and just like all the previous times, I mentally prepared myself for the worst.

A hard grip on my wrist sparked pain up my arm before new sparks flew across my back as I was spun around then slammed against my locker; a small prick in my head rose a note that I likely have scrape on my head. Again. I stared defenselessly into those hard ruby eyes before me. Those soulless demon eyes filled with passionate feelings directed at me. And only me. He stepped closer so that if anyone _happened_  to pass by, it would only seem like we were about to kiss. Or at the very least, talk among ourselves.

"You were a little late today, mind explaining?" I can honestly say I hate myself for being so pathetic; barely able to do anything right in his eyes - I could only swallow and slowly answer him apologetically, "I'm s-sorry, Tadase... my mother was cooking breakfast and-"

A hard shove then, "Likely story," his breath felt like wires brushing against my cheek, "If I find out you were with another guy, you know what would happen..."

His threat hung between us; he was right! I knew how angry he would be if I was with another guy for any amount of time. He's very protective of me. A warning bell washed a wave of relief over me as it rung through the halls; neither of us could afford to be late so as he released me, he grabbed my hand and walked me to my class. With a quick kiss on my cheek, he left me to get to his own class. This year we didn't have class together, which royally pissed him off because he made sure I picked the same classes as him! I fixed my sweater and checked my leg warmers before entering my first period; I know if anyone knew the truth: they would likely interfere but I love him.

Or at least I was sure I did until one worm dug himself into my life. And  **refused**  to leave. Or die.

"Okay class! Since Ms. Sanjou will be out on maternity leave, we'll be having her class join us~" Nikaidou explained to us once class began and students piled in with desk; each student filled up the empty spots beside one of the students already in the class one-by-one.

As long as no boy sat next to me, I couldn't careless who sat beside me so instead I prompted myself to stare out the window aimlessly. A screech of a desk being sat down had me glancing over to see a wide grin and the deepest green eyes I had ever seen. Unfortunately both were attached to a boy. A boy who had placed his desk beside mine. This is not good. I quickly glanced around to see if I could persuade him to sit elsewhere but there was no open spots.

_I hope Tadase doesn't find out_

Well since I couldn't get him to leave - I would just have to avoid talking to him. Simple, right? Eh, as I soon found out: not so much! The boy instantly struck up a conversation with me: "Hi, sorry my class has to intrude on yours... Hope you don't mind that I sat beside you and all," chuckling a little, "by the way, I'm Kukai. Kukai Soma,"

I kept silent and did my best to pay attention to Nikaidou but the boy refused to give up: "You know its polite to answer someone back when they introduce themselves," he whispered in a playful tone.

"So is not talking when the teacher is talking," I instinctively bit back before biting my lip as I realized what I had just done; I quickly scribbled down notes that were being written on the board.

"So you can talk," I paused in my recording, trying to focus on the pain in my head; maybe if I pretend it hurts a lot I can just go to the nurse's office for the rest of class.

Unfortunately it worked a little  _too_  well; my head began throbbing more than I expected it would and I raised a hand to hold it comfortingly mentally noting that the slam into my locker might have re-opened one of my newly-healed injuries a little. Just for clarification, it wasn't the throbbing that was unfortunate - it was the person who caught sight of my actions. Before I knew it, he had raised his hand and proceeded to say he was taking me to the nurse's office. My hand was grabbed gently and pulled as such out of my seat then out the door. I followed unsure as my mind caught up with the events leading up before I stopped in my tracks and yanked my hand away; green eyes swept over to me in confusion. I held the hand he had grabbed a hold of and held it close to my chest before muttering, "...stay away from me..."

I had hoped he would just leave like that but luck again was not in my favor as he responded with a light: "Then would you mind if I simply walked you there?" Just as I was about to argue that he should just go, he added: "Humor me," smiling, "I just want to make sure you get there... it looked like your head was spinning in the classroom,"

There was something in his voice that left me without any further discussion of getting him to leave;  _what the hell was wrong with me?_   _Did I really want to risk getting injured for some guy that didn't want to leave me alone_ _?_  Our trip to the nurse's office was quiet; my head pulsed painfully a few times causing me to stumble but Kukai seem to only touch my shoulder muttering that he was right there. Seeing the sign for our destination, I let out a sigh of relief; now I wouldn't have to worry about him - he would leave and I would avoid him at all cost. He went a few steps ahead of me and opened the door, holding it as I walked in first;  _why was he doing this when he doesn't even know me?_

As usual, the nurse wasn't in so as normal I went about getting what I would need as I stated: "Well, you walked me here... you should go back,"

"No,"

_H-huh?!_

* * *

 

**This is currently on-going on ffnet but for right now, I'll post the chapters that have been written here :D**


	2. Amu

**[ - Chapter Two - ]**

I could barely believe my ears; did this guy really just say he  _wasn't_  going to leave me alone? I bit the inside of my cheek before turning on my heels, hoping if he couldn't see the panic that was evident on my face then he might still decide to leave. Calming myself down, I muttered out with a sigh: "Care to explain..."

A short pause then he hummed, "No, not really"; I needed to get him out of here if anyone at all saw us alone together, they'd surely let it slip to Tadase. Rummaging through the supplies I grabbed, I popped open the Tylenol and shook three pills out of the bottle before glaring over my shoulder at Kukai. He was simply standing in the doorway, glancing around at various places inside the nurse's office and just as I was about to speak my dislike for him still being around a sharp pain throbbed violently in my head.

A sharp inhale as my hand reached up to ease the discomfort in the back of my head; with my other hand I quickly pushed the bottle of antiseptics and a cotton ball closer. I froze up when fingers parted my hair and my hand away from my discomfort, without even giving me a chance to push him away Kukai asked me to sit down. I could hear  _that_  smile in his voice again! Pouting I did as I was told, he gently pushed my head down as he stood over me; the moment the alcohol-soaked swab touched my head, I tensed and inhaled sharply again to overcome the stinging sensation erupting in my head.

Those sensations were overwhelmed by another - a gentler sensation; a thumb was tracing circles soft circles on my shoulder, relaxing again I caught the whiff of the tropics. Chancing a glance up through my bangs, which had fallen in front of my eyes, I watched curiously as he went about cleaning up the discomfort. Green eyes determined and focused. His tongue stuck out in the utmost form of concentration. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I even noticing this...?_

"There," Kukai took a step back and flashed a smile as our eyes met; I quickly looked away with a quick hushed 'thanks' before lying down on the bed I had been sitting on.

Glancing back over at him, I asked: "Do you mind if I just lay here and you can go back to class?"; don't get me wrong I was grateful he helped me but I still wasn't going to take any more risk of him being around me for much longer.

The sense of defeat was evident in his eyes as he sighed, "Alright... I'll be back to check up on you after class then, uh... I never got your name, what is it?" a smile tugging at his lips as he tried to bring up his previous conversation with me in the classroom.

Biting my lip I covered myself with the white blanket beside me and curled up;  _please leave. please leave. please leave, Kukai!_

Approaching footsteps then a low but gentle: "I don't know what it was but I," letting out a deep sigh, "I just... something just doesn't feel right so I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries as a classmate, who you barely know..." Silence and receding footsteps then I knew I was alone just like I wanted all along.  _So why does it feel so empty now?_

I curled up under the blanket, mentally noting I would need to leave before first period let out or else he would come back to check up on me. As my eyes began to drift down, I yawned to one last thought: _Thank god for pain killers..._  before I fell asleep. Memories of my old life of being able to smile and believe in fairy tale romances flooded my thoughts as I felt warm. Warm like tropical weather. And tropical weather happens in the tropics,  _right?_

Slowly revealing my honey-colored eyes, I peered past my eyelashes to see a face that matched that warmth;  _Kukai?_  I stared at him for a while before without realizing it until I saw my fingers threading through very soft brown locks of hair. I froze upon my brain catching up with my hand's movement through the boy's hair. Feelings of dread filled the pit of my stomach as I ran through all the horrible things to come out of being caught doing such a thing!  _I need to get away! RIGHT now!_  I slowed my breathing and carefully removed my hand but not before waking up the brunette who had been sound asleep.

"Wha-Oh! How're you feelin'?" A sleep-intoxicated green eyes stared up at her before rubbing the previous state away; Kukai raised his hands over his head and stretched before his liveliness came back in the form of a grin.

How can he be so happy all the time? I pulled away the blanket, successfully avoiding his question for the moment before grabbing my stuff; muttering a quick ' _fine_ ' I left the room just as quick. The moment I was outside the nurse's office, I ran to my next class - anywhere that wasn't near him! When I deemed myself far enough away, I glanced up at one of the analog clocks that hung on the wall around the school; a small part of me panicked - I had already missed two classes, which meant that I had missed  _three_  in-between-class meetings with Tadase. A knot formed in my stomach as my mind formed likely injuries or insults I would have to face when lunch came around. But...

"At least," closing my eye to sigh in what felt like relief, "first period's events will remain secret...  _hopefully_ ," The last part added as I opened my eyes again and entered my fourth period class; my last sanctuary before lunch break.

The class like always was uneventful; of course what do you expect from history class? Especially since we were discussing Canadian history... How that country ever became apart of our history class outline is beyond me? No assassinations (or attempts). No wars or battles... Just every day life - a passive history. Sitting there, I silently wished this boring class wouldn't end but a mental kick from reality reminded me that wishing for such a thing would only make the next sequence of events come sooner than wanted.

As if directed by my thoughts, the bell dismissing us from class and to lunch echoed throughout the school; grabbing my stuff, wanting desperately to meet up with my boyfriend before he got to our meeting spot first. I barely made it there, holding my chest to calm my breathing before I straightened up and clutched my messenger bag in my hands as I awaited my punishment for missing our 'in-between-class' meetings.

"Amu," There he was, standing a short distance away; I could see the anger flaring in his ruby-colored eyes as he approached me, I swallowed back and prepared myself for the worst he was likely to do.

He was mere inches from my face when he asked in a low growl, "Explain,"

"I-I wa-wasn't fe-feeling we-well, Ta-Tadase..." Every inch of me prayed he accepted my flimsy excuse then would hurry up and lash out at me for missing our short meetings; after all, that was to be expected - I broke the promise of always meeting in between our classes since we no longer shared any.

A firm jerk on my wrist sent my eyes wandering up to meet his eyes as his breath felt like a knife grazing against my cheek, "We'll talk about  _that_  after school then..."

He moved his hand so it was holding onto my own before he led me to our usual lunch spot in the courtyard; I silently prayed his actions meant that he had bought my excuse but once more it would seem something was against that: "Ah! There you are!"

I whipped my head around as  _that_  voice rang out in the courtyard as its owner panted a few feet away, "I've been looking for you... Nikaido-sensei asked me to give you the homework for class... but you ran out on me before I could-," sensing the strange atmosphere, "uh, is this a bad time?"

"Who is this, Amu?" I inwardly panicked as I felt his grip on my hand tighten in obvious distaste for the brunette near us. Near me.

I shot a glare at Kukai, who seemed take back as I quickly responded, "Just some classmate," before stepping closer to Tadase.


	3. Kukai

**[ - Chapter Three - ]**

Walking down the halls of the school, I could barely believe that only a hour ago it had been so full of life; staying late for soccer practice yet again had me enjoying silent comfort. It was nice compared to the rowdiness my older brothers provided at home. I smiled to myself as I turned a corner with my ball under my armpit but when a sudden crash echoed off the empty walls - I paused.

_Huh?_

I listened carefully for the source, tiptoeing quietly when more muffled noises echoed again; I came to a stop outside a classroom door and felt my heart drop as voices drifted through the door. A male voice that seemed to hold only venom talking down to someone. I strained my ear just as he growled out a name ' _Amu_ '. A girl? A few slams and crashes later, I jumped back from the doorway and just barely hid in the next classroom; silently sliding the door almost shut, I waited with bated breath as footsteps walked away. Further and further away until there was only silence. Releasing my breath, I stepped out of my hiding spot only to hear a soft gasp beside me. My head almost spun right off when I saw the girl I had sat next to in first period. The girl who I had helped to the nurse's office. My eyes widened when I pieced together the two most obvious facts:

One, the angry boy's voice I had heard had come out of the classroom beside me.

Two, she was standing right outside said classroom.

_So that means...?_  I stepped closer to her but when she tensed, I paused before asking in a low voice: "Amu?"

The emotions that were normally masked in the honey-colored orbs whirled openly before me; I drew a breath before calming my mind from jumping to conclusions.

_Maybe he was only rehearsing lines for a play... Or they had a fight that got a little out of control..._

Despite the crap excuses I gave myself, I admit that at that moment I didn't want to think otherwise; at least not with such a cute girl in the middle of something uglier. I stepped back and pushed aside my thoughts before asking, "Wanna walk home together? Its dangerous for a girl to walk home this late in the day," Hearing myself ask such a thing, I was positive she was going to glare at me then walk away but the small 'okay' made my eyes widen in surprise.

_Wait! She said 'yes'?_

I heard a faint echoing of something hitting the ground, glancing down I saw my soccer ball rolling away; I swooped it up before tossing it slightly then catching it with my right hand. I turned back around, "You ready to head out?" I smiled, hoping for some reaction to show her I wasn't going to hurt her. Or let her get hurt.

_Hopefully I'm over-thinking this... what kind of guy would want to make her cry?_

Amu merely nodded her head slowly; I walked up to her side asking, "So where do you live?" before we headed for the doors; the outside air was crisp with autumn's chill, I did my best not to show that I was a little affected by the temperature as we walked.

She was relatively quiet but I kept my pace beside her as she lead me down several streets before turning a corner; finally she spoke: "A few more minutes," and her voice was barely above a whisper.

I glanced around; I had never really seen this part of town before: "So have you lived here your whole life?" I asked, hoping to spark some small talk out of her.

"...no... I moved here a couple years ago..." She replied, curling into herself as if expecting-

_No! I'm over-thinking things! Quit it, brain!_

I re-positioned the ball under my armpit but before I could ask another question, the wind picked up and that's when all my earlier concerns flew straight back to the forefront of my mind - her hair blew back and I saw a few bruises on her neck and collarbone! Ball dropping from its spot under my arm in that instant. I rushed to her, hands already flying up to confirm that I wasn't imagining anything. She froze into my touch but that didn't matter; in front of me were three bruises and my first thought as I lined up my own fingers was that I had been regrettably right...

_You've gotta be kidding me..._

I gently moved her hair on the other side of her neck, one bruise; I didn't even need to line up my whole hand to figure out the rest. They were from some  _bastard_  grabbing her by the neck for  _god-only-knows-what_  reason. Worried honey eyes watched as I pulled her close, wishing to will away the marks from my memory.

"...I'm so sorry..." An apology was all I could muster. All I could say to express how bothered I was about her - anyone receiving injuries like those. I wish I could have noticed before - back in the nurse's office. Did that mean that the scrape on her head came from the same  _bastard_? I tightened my arms around her as the thought passed through my mind but went slack when I heard:

"Kukai...?" My name fell as her arms tried to pry some space between us; I let my arms fall to my sides as I stepped away, "...sorry..." I mumbled before ruffling up her hair.

I hate depressing stuff. Always have. I'd rather clear the air of those sort of things; maybe I'm really just assuming the worst... High school girls can be pretty mean to one another. So maybe she's just being bullied. Maybe she just need someone to help her keep her head up. A part of me screamed that I was stubborn, refusing to fully believe the obvious conclusion.

I waved goodbye to her once we finished our trek to her house before heading home myself; the whole night I couldn't get those marks out of my head. I couldn't wait to get to school the next morning; flashes of after school yesterday flooded the forefront of my mind as I dashed to school - I wanted to talk to her. Talk to Amu about yesterday. But mostly I just wanted to see her. Within the bustling hallway, I caught sight of the familiar rosy hair pinned with a black pins formed in a 'X'; I raised my hand to wave to her but before I could call out I saw the blonde boy from yesterday leading her away from everyone. Awkwardly I put my hand back down before weaving myself through the crowd to follow;  _something_  told me that I shouldn't let them out of my sight. Keeping my distance, I followed them through a corridors before they stopped in the corner of one that was practically empty. Standing out of sight from them, I lean against the side of the lockers just close enough to barely hear them - snippets of their conversation entered my ears: "...weren't late... ...love you... ...betray... ...hi-"

Suddenly the bell rung and whatever else that might have been said was deafened by the newest sound; grumbling in defeat, I headed to my first period and blended into the crowd that now was passing through the once empty hallway. As I entered my classroom, my mind settled for my brain over-thinking things. There was no way he would hurt her, was there? They appeared to be dating then again, maybe I should just ask someone for more info. Someone other than Amu. She probably wouldn't tell me unless we were friends... _Friends?_  Brimming with a bright idea, I felt determination fill me - that's what I'll do! I'll befriend her!

Hearing the soft 'pat-pat' of footsteps approaching me, I glanced back to see Amu a short distance away; taking my first step: I greeted her, "G'morning Amu,"

Startled: "A-ah... m-morning," Her stutter  **did not**  go unnoticed; I saved that mental note for later before following through with my previous train of thought.

"Want to get ice cream after school? There's a shop not far from here that's doing a special today,"

Scoffing, she muttered angrily: "Please don't assume anything just because you walked me home," although her voice didn't hold the strength it did yesterday.

"Aww~ C'mon... my treat! You can have any size," I wasn't about to give up. At least not easily, I might add.

I could see the gears turning behind her eyes as she took her seat by the window; biting back a chuckle at how adorable she looked, I waited patiently for suggestion to be accepted. Finally right before her teacher began class, she sighed: "Large chocolate then," annoyed but I could see a  _very_  small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.


	4. Kukai

**[ - Chapter Four - ]**

"You know~ strawberry taste just as good as chocolate," It had been a week in a half since I first invited Amu out for ice cream and for these past eleven days, I had managed to get her to come every single time. Yes,  **every single time**! If someone were to say I was full of myself - they'd probably be close to the truth.

Covering her mouth to stifle her quiet laugh, Amu barely got out: "So you keep saying but every time you invite me out, you say I can have any flavor I want" before finishing with a small carefree smile.

_God, she's adorable._  I noticed very shortly after all of our ice cream getaways that I found a lot of the things she did naturally cute, adorable or just goddamn beautiful! I inhaled deeply to calm my mind before exhaling slowly: "Then next time, you're gonna get strawberry" I spoke with a wide grin.

Narrowing her eyes playfully: "Who says that there will be a  _next time_ , Kukai?"

I liked this atmosphere between us but it had a habit of making me forget until I was alone all the questions I've been meaning to ask her. About the bruises I had found on her neck. Speaking of which, I hadn't seen any - of course it hadn't even been the slightest breeze lately. Maybe she just really needed a friend to rely on...

"...just classmates, huh? Amu..." She stiffened visible beside me; all those emotions that never surfaced when she was with me washed over her eyes and I could clearly read the strongest one: panic.

My attention swept over to the blonde, who I assumed was - and never given a clear answer - her boyfriend. He did seem a little different than the first time I was this close to him - back when we first met. His eyes were hard like rubies and behind them, I could clearly see the flood of anger and distrust. I cautioned a glance over to my panicked companion - there was no way she could be the reason for the distrust?  _Could she?_

"We're just friends," Those hard eyes swept over and seemed to size me up; of course I did my utmost not to flinch even slightly under such a heavy glare. The blonde sucked in his breath before leaning down and pulling hard on Amu's wrist, enough to send her flying off the bench and onto her feet then before she was even settled on carrying her own weight - I watched her and him briskly walk away from me.

My mind buzzed with the additional info I had just picked up on; there was obvious distrust but why? I've spent almost the past two weeks with her and she didn't come off unfaithful -hell, she was acting like she was walking on eggshells for the first half a week! My eyes fell on the ground in front of me, lying forgotten and melting was her chocolate ice cream cone. Her favorite. I tried finishing the rest of my strawberry cone but in the end tossed it out; the taste just wasn't the same as it was before he showed up.

Drawing my hand up I rubbed the side of neck, occasionally brushing against the stud in my ear, as I stood up before walking off; why did he seem to distrust her so much? What could she have done to merit that? And how on earth did he find us?

"Wait... th-that makes it sound like... we-we're do-doing som-something be-behind his back," I felt the color in my face boil slightly in embarrassment of how my thoughts had ended with  _that_  question.

Despite the curious stares from the other people around me on the sidewalk, I stopped in my tracks - should I apologize? Maybe I was a little too pushy by inviting her out for ice cream. I'm sure I caused some misunderstandings between them...

No! That might spark more problems if I apologize to her tonight - I should wait until tomorrow at school, right?

I chuckled dryly to myself as I ran away from their gazes, shaking my head as I agreed that waiting until tomorrow would be better. Or so I thought I had come upon that agreement but the house I came to a stop in front of was not mine.

It was Amu's.

* * *

"Amu? You in there?" Okay, honestly I felt really uncomfortable standing outside her bedroom door but when her mom rushed me upstairs after seeing me standing outside the front gate, she left me with no room to argue. Moms are all the same no matter whose mother they are. I chuckled softly at that thought but stopped when I heard scrambling from the inside, "Amu?" I called out to her again.

A soft thud then, "What are you doing here?" her voice was monotone with less emotion than when we first met; my heart sank -  _please_  don't tell me I'm back at square one.

"Just wanted to see if everything's okay... You left before," It was true; I had a sudden urge to come and see her shortly after she left but when I tried to fight it, it only got worse. Before I knew it, my feet had walked me here instead of home. I was about to continue on when she started sobbing - I tried to open the door (manners be damned!) but it barely budged. When I glanced into the room, I could see something in front of the door; pushing all my weight, I pried the door open and pulled myself inside. The door was barely open enough to squeeze myself inside and once on the other side of the door, I could see why. Sitting curled-up, hugging her legs, was Amu wearing her usual baggy sweater over top her uniform.

"Hey," I shook her shoulder gently, "talk to me..."

As she shook her head, the rest of her shook as well; she almost looked like a small child for a moment. I pushed that thought aside, her eyes seemed to glue themselves to the floor. I lowered my face, in order to meet those honey orbs I had partially grown fond of - although I'd never tell her that. Once honey met my green, Amu quickly buried her face in her sweater and not long after a muffled noise came from the fabric.

"Repeat that," A small smile had spread across my face before I even had the time to stop it; she raised her face enough so her words weren't muffled.

"I said... I'm fine," To be honest I was a little surprised, she sounded more herself than she previously did through the door and from what I can guess: it showed on my face.

I watched as she bit her bottom lip before glancing away; finding a comfortable sitting position in front of her before scratching the back of my head: " _Well_... if you wanted to talk about something... I wouldn't mind listening... I mean, we're friends after all. Friends can depend on each other, right?" I was grasping at straws as I spoke. I know that but still...

"What the hell do you even know about me?" I wasn't expecting such a cold reaction; my eyes widened as I watched her raise her head slightly up, tears falling from her eyes: "Just go! Stay the hell away from me! Why are you always hanging around me?! Its gross! Just leave me alone!"

I sat froze for a moment before one thought broke my daze and I went off: what the hell happened after she left?!

"What do  _I_  know about you?  _Well_ , let's see... I know that your favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate... when you go to finish your cone, you tend to blow hot air on it so it doesn't give you a brain-freeze... which doesn't really work well because you always end up holding your head afterwards," pausing to catch my breath I was quick to add something else I had noticed: "And not to mention that you're right-handed but lately, you've been oddly favoring your left-side more," I shifted in my spot on her floor before reaching out towards her.

Amu's eyes widened as she watched and I could see the flickers of worry, panic and fear in them but beneath all that negativity, I saw a speck of  _something_ else.

"Amu~ dinner's ready" I never moved so quickly in my life; I stood, leaving a couple feet of space between us, glancing around at my surroundings: a twin-sized bed with a light pink comforter and white pillows was pushed into the corner against one of the windows; a light brown desk and chair beside the other in the room.

"C-Coming..." I let my eyes wander back over to her just as she stood tidying herself up before she hesitantly met my gaze; the flickers in her eyes seemed different now but worry still remained.

I followed her out of her bedroom and down the stairs, on the table before us were five plates of curry; my mouth watered a little at the sight and smell of it. Amu's mother motioned me over to one of the empty chairs and told me I was welcomed to stay for dinner if I liked before I could jump on the offer, I glanced over towards Amu for some sort of approval or rejection response but she stayed silent as she took the remaining empty spot.

"Thank you, I think I will" I smiled at her mom before I took the seat, saying a small 'hello' to the little girl beside me. Ami.


End file.
